Trying to remove a screw or bolt in a tight place has long been a problem that most have faced in their lives. Whether you need a shorter tool or a longer tool, either can be problematic. Since most extensions come in designated lengths being able to find the right length is not always easy to do.
Automobile and truck mechanics face this problem on a daily basis. They are constantly trying to find the proper tool to fit into a particular place when they are working on cars especially. They are constantly cutting their fingers or hands trying to get into a small area or to get a wrench turned in the proper direction and inserted on to a particular bolt or screw. As the engines of cars get smaller and more compact, this task becomes more and more difficult. Also, finding a tool that is the proper length to be able to insert in some of these places to remove or insert bolts or screws is very difficult. While there are standard extensions that are available for purchase they do not fit every situation. Therefore, on some occasions, a mechanic may end up having to piece two or more extensions together to get it to the proper length. Other times, the task is more difficult because all of the extensions are too long and yet the wrench or socket itself is too short. The alternative is to remove more parts than would normally be required to actually do the repair or replacement. This in turn causes the cost of the repair or replacement to increase. In addition to the increased cost, there is an increased amount of time required to actually perform the repair or replacement.
There are other situations when someone might need to be able to adjust the length of a particular socket type wrench. Even some home repairs such as plumbing could sometimes require repairing or replacing parts in some very tight places. Unfortunately, the ability to tear out lots of other pieces to get to a potential plumbing problem creates a much bigger problem and is not always feasible to do. For example, you would not want to tear out the entire sink and/or cabinet in the kitchen or bath if you need to replace certain plumbing parts. Other tight spots that might require that you need an adjustable socket type wrench could include working on a hot water heater. Usually hot water heaters are placed in small closets and do not contain a lot of access to work on them. Even being able to get the hot water heater out to do work on it can become a major project.
All of these types of situations need a solution that is feasible and makes the process much easier while reducing the time and cost associated with any repairs or replacements.